Performance (Lecture Recital, Chamber Music)

Seen and not heard? The evolution of the horn's role in the wind quintet

Chinook Winds

Like children in an old English proverb, hornists sometimes joke that their true purpose in a wind quintet is to be seen and not heard. This program will explore the role of the only brass instrument in a wind quintet. In fitting with the "Then and Now" theme, the program will also trace the evolution of the horn's role over time, first with one of the oldest quintets in the standard repertoire (Reicha's Op. 88, No. 1) and then one of the newest (Maslanka's Quintet No. 3). Additionally, to aid in the comparison by demonstrating the limitations in what composers could have to horn do in the Classical era, the Reicha will be performed on a natural horn the hornist built with Lowell Greer. The time between pieces will be filled with a short talk comparing the horn's role in the two works.